A Rose By Any Other Name
by Watercolour Stains
Summary: Shapeshifters are annoying gits, arn't they. Or at least, that's what Neva and Julian have found out.


A Rose by any other name…

Julian entered their house, glad to be back home after an exhausting week in Paris. His mind still wandered back to that night. The night they laid eyes on their daughter, Holly. And the night that they fully gave themselves to each other. Body, mind, and soul. He smile slightly, levitated their luggage up to each of their rooms and remained in the entrance hall. He turned to Neva and smiled warmly at her.

"I'll be right back," he said. "Since we've been gone for a week, I'm almost positive that we are completely out of food. I'll run down to the village and pick up some more. Besides, I want to make us a romantic dinner tonight." Julian's face lit up with a warm smile and he leaned over to kiss Neva on the cheek. "Keep yourself occupied until I get back, okay?"

He smiled once more at her and exited the house. He wouldn't be too long, only about an hour or so. He left the orchard and walked down to the village. He couldn't fly, for two reasons. One, he lost his broom in the orchard when they fought the Wendigo, and two, the villagers were Muggles. And Julian didn't want to attract attention to himself and Neva. So really, that was three reasons. Whatever.

He arrived at the village and headed straight for the grocery store. He spent an uneventful half hour shopping around, searching for foods that both he and Neva liked. When he was finished, he left the store and headed back up the village path. Since they had arrived home rather late, it was now after dark. Julian glanced at his watch as he carried the bags. It was after eight o'clock. He hoped that Neva wouldn't mind a late dinner.

Neva follows Julian into the house, her bags floating behind her. After quite an eventful trip she was rather tired and was glad that she had her own bed waiting for her. She smiles as Julian takes the initiative to send the luggage on their own way to their rooms. She couldn't face the trip. Besides, she had the habit of resorting to muggle methods which irked her slightly. Still...maneurisms could be easily broken, she thinks to herself.

Neva smiles, rubbing Julian's shoulders lovingly as he kisses her on the cheek. "Hurry back. This big ol' house gets kind of creepy when one is left alone" she giggles. She watches Julian leave before turning around, scoping her surroundings for something to do. Lacking anything better to do, she walks up the steps and into her bedroom. Closing the door lightly, she walks over to her piano and sits down, fingering the keys absently. From a table at the side of the piano, she pulls a notebook of her own compositions. She finds a particular one that she was rather fond of, and begins to play it, singing along as she goes.

Julian was still walking home, and he was just about at his orchard when he heard a woman's voice cry out. He turned, and spotted a beautiful woman lying on the ground near a gutter. She looked injured. Julian's eyes narrowed, and he turned back to help the woman. He set down the bags and leaned down next to her. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked, concern emanating in his voice.

The woman looked up at the young man who had stopped to help her. She smiled at him gratefully and shook her head. "Oh, how thoughtful. Thank you for stopping and helping me," she said, a warm and inviting smile on her face.

Julian shook his head and returned the smile. "Oh, it's no big deal," he said kindly. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her up to a standing position. "May I help you return home?" he asked. He looked her over and assessed that she didn't look terribly injured.

The woman nodded sweetly. "Oh, yes," she crooned. "I would love that. Thank you ever so much." As she walked with Julian, the groceries forgotten, she told him of what had happened to her. Apparently, a disgusting creature had attacked her, and left her lying in the gutter. She clung to Julian's arm like a lost puppy.

When they had arrived at the woman's house, Julian gently pulled his arm from her grasp, gazing at her. To him, she seemed to be enchanting. She smiled at him seductively, and pulled him into her home. He gladly followed, unknowing to the horrors that waited inside.

About an hour later, Julian reemerged, his face oddly blank and pulled taut. He shook his head, his brown hair waving in the wind. His face reassembled itself and he walked back to the gutter where he had found the woman. He picked up the groceries, and with a vacant expression, threw them in the trash. He walked back home, up the path that led to the house.

He arrived home and entered the living room. He looked around, and not finding Neva there, he frowned and shouted her name. "Neva!" he called once more. He sat down and kicked off his shoes, leaving them where they lay. He tousled his hair and pulled off his sweater to reveal a white undershirt. He threw the sweater to the floor and just left it there. "Neva!" he shouted again. "Where's my dinner?" He waited, a bit impatiently, for Neva to enter the living room.

Neva stops playing as she hears Julian call her name. She smiles as she stands up and walks from the room. Sauntering down the steps, she pauses. There was something odd about his manner. She shrugs. She must be just getting paranoid in her old age. She smirks at the thought. Just as she walks into the living room, she pauses as he asks where his dinner was. "Honey. I thought you were buying groceries" she asks, her eyebrow cocked as she takes in his figure. She saunters over to a chair, pausing before she sits down. "Honey. I'm sorry to tell you this but if you're planning to audition for A street car named desire, I can already to tell you that you didn't get the part" she giggles, sitting back down on her seat, her legs tucked underneath her.

Julian looked up at Neva incredulously, arching an eyebrow. "Groceries?" he asked, faltering a bit. Then he waved his hand. "Yeah, about that. We can just eat what's in the cupboard." He glanced at her. Apparently she _hadn't _been making him dinner. "But seriously, where's my dinner?" he asked.

He tapped a foot against the coffee table for a moment before groaning and standing up. "I can see that I'm going to have to get it for myself…" he grumbled, annoyed. He left Neva in the living room and completely bypassed the kitchen. "I'm going to get in the shower," he said yawning loudly. "I expect my dinner on the table by the time I'm finished."

He didn't wait for an answer, but entered his bathroom. He stripped down and stepped under the hot water. There were odd markings on his body, and he repositioned his skin, as it was getting uncomfortable. He tried to think of what he was supposed to be doing. Neva was his girlfriend, right? Well then, she should act like a girlfriend. He decided to teach her the proper lessons of being a girlfriend after he was finished in the shower. Starting with dinner.

Neva raises an eyebrow as Julian tells her that he expects his dinner on the table after his shower. She smirks. "Not with that attitude" she mutters, watching him leave. She stands up and walks over to the mess he had left in his wake. She picks up the shoes, placing then neatly by the hearth, and picks up his sweater. She walks into the kitchen and throws it into a laundry basket by the sink. Giving the cupboards an incredulous look, she walks back into the living room and situates herself in her seat. Julian was acting very odd and it concerned her slightly.

Julian finished with his shower and stood at the sink, gazing into the mirror. When he assessed that he looked fine, he dressed and left the bathroom. He headed to the kitchen, and upon finding the table devoid of any food, grew slightly angry. He entered the living room and found Neva in the same seat that she was in before he left.

He walked up to her, and without saying a word, pulled her to her feet. He shook his head and smirked. "You don't want to make me dinner?" he said, his voice low and gruff. His eyes were oddly vacant and they were a shade of blue, not brown. "You aren't being a very good girlfriend," he growled. He pulled her into his room, almost dragging her up the stairs. "I think it's time for a lesson."

He pushed her down on his bed and hovered over her, grinning maniacally. He lowered his head and forced a kiss to her lips. It was rough and harsh, not at all like the sweet and gentle kisses he usually administered.

Neva looks up as Julian walks back into the room, and without saying a word, pulls her to her feet. She throws his hands off of her, angrily. This wasn't like him at all. "What happened to your eyes?" she asks, studying them, they had changed colour. That wasn't normal. She doesn't have a chance to say anything else, however, as he begins to drag her up the steps. She pulls against him, trying to break from his grip as he leads her up the steps and into his bedroom.

With pure malice etched into his actions, he throws her onto the bed. She makes to stand up again, a look of confusion in her eyes, as he forces himself on top of her and kisses her harshly. Without missing a beat she bites down on his lip...hard.

Julian leapt back, clutching at his bleeding lip angrily. "Oy, wench. What the hell was that for?" he shouted. He fell back against the wall and pulled out his wand. He aimed it at his lip with his right hand and muttered, "Episkey." The bite healed and he glared at Neva angrily.

He didn't advance towards her, but blinked, and suddenly, his eyes were brown once more. He cursed silently. Julian had brown eyes, not blue. Shit. He aimed the wand at her; he still held it in his right hand.

"You bitch," he growled. "You're going to pay for that. No wonder I don't really love you. You're a vicious bitch, and need to be put down." He straightened up. He didn't actually curse her, but just stood there, the wand trained on her heart. "You want to know the truth," he asked viciously. "I'll tell you the damn truth. I want you out. Out of this house, out of my life. You aren't worth the clothes on my back." He pointed the wand towards the door for a moment before aiming it back towards her. "Get out."

Neva looks up as Julian trains his wand on her, his eyes full of pure venom. Strange. They were brown again. Neva shakes the thought from her mind however, as he begins to speak. "You...don't love me?" she asks. He had to...he was...he was lying. Yes. That's it. He's lying. She tries to shake the thought of him deceiving her all of this time from her mind but it refuses to move. She stands up shakily, her eyes falling to the floor as he tells her how utterly worthless she is. He knew just what to say to hurt her. He knew just what to say to make her believe it.

Neva's heart breaks silently as Julian tells her to leave." But I... I love you? Doesn't that mean anything to you?" she asks. She flinches as he shouts for her to get out again. Throwing a scaving look at him, she runs down the steps, opening the door with a loud bang.

She runs for quite a while, tears streaming down her face. She finally collapses, racked with a fit of sobs, onto the cold, wet path. She felt like the dirt beneath her feet.

Julian growled and pulled at the ropes that bounded him to the pillar. He cursed himself silently. He couldn't believe what he'd done. He had allowed a strange woman to enchant him, then take the form of himself. He couldn't imagine what that creature was doing to Neva. He had found the real woman also tied down in the house. He assessed quickly that it was a Shape shifter at work. He wondered what it purpose was.

He pulled at his bindings and growled maliciously as he tried to break free. He heard sobs and stopped pulling. He glanced at the girl across from him. She had fallen asleep, her head bent forward, and leaning on her chest. He was glad he was tied to a pillar, and shifted his weight up. He was able to stand up and look out the window. His eyes widened as he spotted a young girl, his age, it seemed, collapsed on the ground, and sobbing. He recognized the black hair covering her face. "Neva!" he shouted.

Seeing her only fueled his fire and he let out an angry cry. "C'mon, dammit!" he shouted at the ropes. He couldn't break himself free, and he collapsed on the floor, exhausting by the effort. He could only imagine what that damned creature did to his precious Neva. He looked up at the ceiling and let out another anguished cry before smacking his head against the pillar angrily.

Neva looks up, her face stained with tears as she thinks she hears him calling her name. Probably to throw more heart breaking words her way. She stands up shakily, looking back the way she had run. "You fucker!!! I'm not giving you the satisfaction. You're dead to me" she screams before turning to walk away into the night air.

From the corner of her eye, she thinks she sees a face at a window. She glances sideways. The face had gone. She assumes it must have been some rubbernecker stuck for anything else to do. She sneers at the window before loping away. To where, she didn't know.

Julian looked up as she shouted into the wind. He heard her words and his blood ran cold. What did he do? What did the Shape shifter do to her? He groaned and bile caught in his throat. He let out a choked sob before tilting his head to the side and throwing up. He felt horrible, and it smelled terrible in the house.

He was just about to smack himself into unconsciousness when the door opened and the moonlight flooded the house with light. His eyes widened and he coughed once in surprise; bile was still lodged in his throat. He couldn't believe who was standing before him.

Neva walks slowly, her thoughts bouncing off of each other as they continue to breed. It wasn't like Julian. There was something...distant about him. He wouldn't be so violent and hurtful to her. Unless he had been lying to her all of this time simply to get things out of her. That was it. That was she was to him, a Freak Mutant Lay.

She walks into a small coffee shop, dimly lit except for a small kerosene lamp by the window. She walks over to a seat and sits down, her eyes cold and distant.

The shape works its way slowly to the tied up form which is Julian, she sits in front of him, grinning menacingly. "Aww. Has the poor little baby been locked in its pen?" she asks, mocking him. "How pathetic" she sneers. "It makes me glad that that horrible freak growing inside me lost its fight for life. I wouldn't want your DNA messing up my gene pool. From what I could tell at the museum, she was ugly anyways. Just like her sperm donor" she smirks. She watches the pathetic man for a little while longer before walking back towards the door. She pulls something off of her long, alabaster finger and throws it at him. "Like I would ever marry you" she says as she departs.

Julian stared at Neva as she walked up to him and sat in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise and shock as he listened to the words coming out of her mouth. He flinched visibly as he was hit with the engagement ring. "N-Neva…?" he choked out. He couldn't believe what she had said to him. Rage clouded his vision and he struggled to break free. He growled and struggled against the will of his wrists, which were screaming in pain. "Dammit, come _on_!" he shouted. He struggled a bit more and broke free.

He ripped the cords off his wrists, and released the girl beside him. She was asleep, but when she awoke, he knew she'd leave. He snatched up the ring and ran out the door, furious. He knew that she wouldn't be at the house. Why would she? After all, she just said that she didn't want to marry him.

Tears stung his eyes as he ran through the village, searching for Neva. He was going to give her a piece of his mind. Especially when she insulted their daughter, Holly. He skidded to a stop in front of a coffee shop and spied Neva, seated at a table. He walked in, banging the door loudly as he entered.

He walked over to her and threw the ring down on the table. "You don't want to marry me," he said, hurt and sorrow evident in his voice, "fine. Then don't marry me. But don't you dare insult Holly's memory," he hissed.

Neva looks up as Julian walks into the coffee shop, cold fury on his face. She watches as he places a ring...her ring... on the table." What the hell are you talking about? Asshole! I never did such a thing." She stands up and pounds her fist onto the table. "You were the one being a chauvinistic pig!" she shouts. "How dare you assume that I should be your little agreeable woman! How bloody dare you!" She shouts.

Neva pushes Julian out of the way and heads towards the door. She pauses for a moment, glaring at Julian before walking out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Julian blinked. What the hell was she talking about? Chauvinistic pig? He had done nothing of the sort! He started when she pushed him out of her way and left the coffee shop. He growled and shook his head. She was not getting away that easily.

He followed her out of the shop and seized her arm, gently. He wheeled her around and glared at her. "I was not being a chauvinistic pig!" he growled. "How the hell could I do anything to you when I've been tied up in an abandoned house for the past four hours?" he hissed, his voice low and menacing. "And besides. You're the one being selfish. You don't want my DNA messing up your gene pool? How dare _you_! If you didn't want me, why did you agree to come along in the first place!"

Neva spins around as Julian takes her arm. She couldn't believe that he was man handling her...again. She throws his arm off of her, all the while glaring at his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder why they had appeared blue at the house. Perhaps it was a trick of the light.

"What the hell are you talking about? What house" she asks in a low voice. She was in no mood to be made a fool of. "You were back at our...your house. Or did you forget your little speech?" she asks incredulously, the wounds lingering nastily. "So I'm, not good enough for you, huh? From what you told me back at the house, you didn't even want me with you so don't pull that card" she hisses. "I was just a cheap, inexpensive fuck to you!" she seethes. "A freak, mutant lay. Nothing more!"

Julian's eyes narrowed as he listened, half-heartedly, to Neva. He took a tentative step back. "What the hell are _you_ talking about?" he asked, his voice just as low. He was really confused now. He hadn't been at the house since he left earlier. He couldn't have said those things. Nothing was adding up. "You honestly believe that I would say those things to you?" he asked, his voice full of hurt. His eyes held true, honest to Merlin pain in them. He didn't understand what was going through her mind. But he knew he had to get to the bottom of this. "Neva, you _know _me. Look into my eyes, and tell me if you truly believe that it was me who said those horrible things to you." He didn't even care what she said anymore. So she didn't want him messing up her gene pool, fine. Whatever. But he wouldn't allow Neva to leave him thinking that he said those terrible things to her. Whatever he may have said, in her twisted reality, wasn't true. He loved her to death. She had to know that. He would die for her. He would never think of her as a cheap, inexpensive fuck. Never in a million years.

Neva studies Julian, her eyes welling as she looks into his eyes as instructed. How did he have the nerve to concoct some stupid excuse after what he said? Why didn't he just accept his feelings and walk away. Blatantly lying to her like this, mocking her... it was only serving to hurt her more. She just wished that Julian could see the love she held for him. Even if he didn't reciprocate...If he could just know what he meant to her then he may find his way to, if not loving her, maybe just stop being so heartless and cruel.

"If you didn't treat me like day old vomit, then who did? It isn't as if there are any shape shifters or other masqueraders to blame your words on!" she says, not bothering to mask her pain.

Julian threw up his hands in exasperation. "I don't…" he paused. "Wait…" He blinked at her and looked around. "That's it. That's it!" He didn't dare to smile, but looked excited. "I think that's what possessed us…or took our form. A Shape shifter." He looked around once more. "I mean, you say that I said all those horrible things to you, and I tell you that I was locked up in an abandoned house for four hours. Wouldn't it be plausible that _someone_ pretended to be me? And you…I swore that I saw you walk off, but then not even five minutes later you walked into the house, not crying or sobbing at all. And you proceeded to insult me, and insult our daughter." His eyebrows arched. "Now I know that you, the real you, would never say anything like that. C'mon Neva. You know me too well. Tell me. Do you _honestly_ believe that I would say that to you?"

Neva watches as Julian begins to milk the excuse she had lambasted him for, before he even used it. She watches, her eyebrows raised. Wait a minute... insult Holly? She hadn't and would neve...Her eyes soften slightly. It was starting to make sense. "The wrong eye color...The surly maneurism... the fact that you would have raped me if I hadn't bitten you... That just isn't you" she thinks aloud to herself, her eyes following invisible notes across the floor as she thinks. She looks up, looking somewhat ashamed. "It wasn't you" she says quietly.

Julian's eyes snapped back to Neva's face. "Eye color? Surly…wait, raped you?!" His eyes widened as he came to realization. His heart began to beat incredibly fast. "I didn't…I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, his voice unnaturally low.

When she looked up at him, ashamed, he stopped his rambling. "Whatever I did to you," he said quietly, "I'm sorry." He made to hug her tightly, but thought better of it, knowing in the back of his mind, that she would probably attack him. Instead, he gave her a small, weak reassuring smile.

"No you didn't hurt me" Neva reassures Julian. Now that she thought about it, she knew it couldn't have been him. He was too gentle for anything so awful. She should have suspected something when he turned up at the house looking lost. "I have a few bruises on my arms but they'll go away. It wasn't you. I realize that now" she says.

Neva looks up, watching his failed attempt at a hug. She was inwardly grateful. She still couldn't get it out of her head...what he...well, the shape shifter, did to her. She was still a little edgy. She chooses instead to return his weak smile.

Julian nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. He felt horrible, even though it wasn't him, that someone with his face hurt his Neva. He completely disregarded what the shape shifter in her form said to him, but he couldn't help but wonder.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. He still felt responsible though. Even though it wasn't him, he still felt like he was the one who had done all those horrible things.

He sighed and looked away. Now they had to focus on the task at hand. How to kill the shape shifter so it didn't ruin anyone else's lives.

Neva looks at Julian sympathetically, taking his hand in her own. "You have nothing to be sorry for" she reassures. "Unless that…thing" she says for lack of a better term, "feeds off of real thoughts and feelings. Which I highly doubt as I would never... and I mean never... say anything hurtful about Holly. Or you" she says.

Neva bites her lip, wondering where the creature was. She would sorely love to get her hands on it.

Julian exhaled a sigh of relief when she accepted his apology and said that she would never say anything bad about Holly or him. He still didn't touch her though, for fear that she would retaliate and go berserk on him.

"I think I know where it is," he said. "If we wait long enough, I'm sure it'll come back. It's in the house that I was tied up in." He hesitated, about to take her hand, but then just walked in the direction of the house, hoping she'd follow.

Neva turns to follow Julian as he walks out of the Coffee house, his thoughts obviously distracted. She follows him out of the door, apologizing to the patrons for their scene. She follows Julian, her pace quickening trying to keep up with his, as he walks along the silent path. It was almost dark except for the illuminated windows of the cottages they passed.

Julian stopped in front of an old house. It was a nice house, not like the shack they found Hyde in. He glanced at Neva and walked up the path. "This is it," he murmured. He had no idea how he'd kill the thing, but he knew he would. Especially if he/she/it hurt Neva. He could see the bruises on her arms, and it angered him. He couldn't wait to hurt the thing like it hurt her.

Neva follows Julian to a rather nice looking house. It looked nothing at all like the lair of a strange, evil creature. Unless the Death Eaters were anything to go by... She walks up the path with Julian, feeling a little chilly. She would be glad to get back home, to the comfort of the warm fire.

Julian looked at her. "Are you ready for this?" he asked her, his voice low. "If you don't want to do this right away, we can wait. I want you to trust me again." He studied her face. "I know you don't trust me."

He turned away, staring hard at the house. He didn't know what to say to ease her fear of him. For that's what he knew she thought of him. She feared him. It killed him inside, and he swore to kill the creature that caused this.

Neva looks up as Julian addresses her, jumping slightly. "Yes. It's fine. Let's get it over with" she responds. She hated the thought that the creature had been so cruel and heartless to Julian. It made her sick to think that Holly had been insulted so blatantly. She makes a mental not to ask Julian what had been said about her little girl.

Julian noticed that Neva did not quell his fears about her not trusting him, and he just gave up. He sighed heavily and wrenched open the door to the house. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew it was not going to be good.

When they entered the house, it was as dark and dank as when he left it. The girl, he noticed, was gone. He smiled faintly. At least she had gotten out alive. He sighed and sat on the couch. "It's not here," he said quietly. "We'll have to wait."

Neva follows Julian into the dark, almost mouldy looking innards of the house. It had looked so pristine when they had been outside. It was strange. She follows Julian's cue and perches on the edge of the couch beside Julian. She studies him a moment. He looks distant, as though there was something weighing down on him.

Neva bites her lip and decides to ask her question. "What did... the thing... say about Holly?" She asks quietly, her urge to make it suffer a painful death increasing by the moment.

Julian looked up and stared at Neva blankly for a moment. Suddenly, he realized she spoke. "Oh," he said, faltering. "You…it told me that it didn't want me messing up its gene pool. And that she was ugly, like me." He turned away, ashamed to think that he had actually believed her for a moment. Well, longer than a moment. He wondered though, if the shape shifter didn't feed on the inner thoughts of the person it became.

"What did I say to you?" he whispered. "What did I do?"

Neva's eyes widen as Julian tells her what she had said. A cold fury paints itself on her face. She couldn't believe that the thing could be so cruel. Now she would really cause some damage to it.

She thinks back to what the shape shifter had said to her. "You were such a pig. You told me that I wasn't good enough for you, you tried to rape me and then kicked me out of the house when I protested" she replies, cleaning it up a little.

Julian closed his eyes, growling softly when he heard what his form had done to her. His hands became fists and he grew incredibly angry. "Dammit," he shouted, pounding the armrest with his fist. He stood up and kicked the couch angrily. He couldn't believe what had transpired. He was furious. Hot, angry blood ran through his veins and he paced in the living room while they waited for the shape shifter to return.

Neva jumps slightly as Julian erupts into a fury. He seemed too much like the shape shifter for her liking. She stands up, pulling Julian around to face her. She looks carefully at his eyes to see if they had changed colour. Thankfully, they were still brown. "Just checking" she says, perching back onto the couch as she watches Julian pace the floor.

Julian blinked, startled when she stared at his eyes. "What the…" he muttered. He stopped pacing and stared at Neva, who was back on the couch. She didn't know it, but when he got angry because someone insulted, or hurt his loved ones, his temper fuse would become very short, and he became dangerous to his enemies. He knew that he wouldn't hurt Neva, but he gave her a confused look all the same. Suddenly, the door opened slowly. It creaked with every movement. Julian stopped and stared.

A young woman walked in, not unlike the one who had seduced him. A young man followed her, and Julian knew this was the shape shifter. He let out a shout and the man took off, running. The shape shifter turned to him, her eyes flashing wildly.

Neva looks up in alarm as the door creaks open and a young woman and a man enter. She stands up, holding her wand by her side just in case. She edges in front of Julian slightly as her...its eyes flash menacingly at him.

The woman turns instead to look at Neva. Her eyes connect with hers for a fleeting moment, making Neva feel oddly exposed. Before her eyes, the woman begins to change. She shrinks down, a strange light emitting from her body as she transformed. Neva shields her eyes for a moment before turning back, her eyes wide and hard with fury. She had transformed into Holly. She was on the floor, babbling away as she watched her parents. "You do NOT get to do that" Neva screams, her wand raised at the thing. She couldn't bring herself to disarm the thing however. Something was making a part of her believe it was Holly. Her eyes glaze over slightly, taking in the from in front of her.

Julian flinched as Neva screamed at the thing. His eyes widened as the shape shifter changed into their lost daughter. Julian felt his breath catch, and he glanced at Neva. She was acting oddly. He disregarded it, however, and aimed his wand at the thing that was now his daughter.

He took a deep breath, and aimed. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't see himself performing the task, and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" He heard a baby's shout of surprise and a loud slam. He cracked one eye open to see that his daughter was now the woman who had seduced him. He growled and aimed his wand at her once more. "Damn you!" he shouted.

Neva breaks harshly from her reverie as Julian casts the disarming spell on the creature, causing it to be flung into the air like a rag doll. Her eyes widen, somewhat relieved as it turns into a woman, not much older than herself. Who was she? Whose form had the creature taken this time?

Julian frowned as the woman advanced on him. She held lust in her eyes, just as she did when she lured him in here. He took a tentative step back from her and almost collided with Neva. He sidestepped around her, and edged himself further into the living room. Her gaze was locked with his, and he couldn't break free. This was just like last time, before she knocked him out, took his face, and proceeded to try and destroy his relationship with Neva. He swallowed, not sure what to do now.

Neva watches the woman make her way towards Julian, glaring as she advances on him. "Julian!" she shouts, trying to distract his wavering attention from the thing's eyes. She claps a few times before realizing it was futile and stepping in front of him. "Julian. Look at _me_! Fight it!" she says sternly.

The creature creeps up behind Neva, its breath burning the back of her neck. She jabs an elbow into its stomach to stop it from following through with whatever it had been planning. The creature is knocked back, clutching its stomach as Neva tries desperately to break Julian from his reverie.

Neva rolls her eyes, suddenly realizing. He was a man. She takes one of his cold, clammy hands and stuffs it up her shirt, coming to rest on her breast. That should get his attention.

Julian didn't even notice Neva standing in front of his as he continued to back up. He didn't want to get caught in its trap again, but he was unable to look away. Every bit of him was screaming to look away, or else he'd be killed, but he was unable. Damn creature!

His reverie only slightly snapped when the shape shifter doubled over. He staggered a bit before blankly staring at Neva. She was rolling her eyes. What? Why? Suddenly, he began to blink furiously. "What the hell…" he muttered, looking down. His hand was on Neva's breast.

Julian's mouth dropped open, and he removed his hand from her. "N-Neva!" he cried. It wasn't that he disliked it; in fact, he reveled in the feel of her. It was just that…now…at a crucial moment. "What are you doing? You know I love…you…but…" his gaze traveled to the shape shifter, and he looked foolish. "Oh…" he muttered, feeling incredibly stupid.

Neva giggles to herself, unable to hide her amusement. "I knew that would snap you out of it" she smirks, throwing a quick glare at the shape shifter, stooped over in the corner, looking at her menacingly. "How do you suppose we get rid of her" she asks, nodding her head over in her direction.

Julian frowned. "Oh, shut it, you," he said, feeling like a nitwit. He turned to the shape shifter, who was now leaning against the wall, trying to catch her breath. He shrugged. "Dunno," he said truthfully. "What do you say we just use the Protego spell, or Sectumsempra? See if one of those works?" He truly didn't know what to do, and he was in a better mood now that he realized that Neva trusted him to touch her again. Even though it was in an inappropriate place and at the wrong time…

Neva rolls here eyes at Julian, dulling the giggles to a smirk. She saunters over to where Julian is stood surveying the creature, pondering his question. She watches, her eyes wide, as the creature makes to lunge at her for her previous attack. Before she has chance to dive out of the way, it lunges at her, pushing Julian to the ground and knocking him unconscious in the process.

Neva is knocked to the ground as the creature takes a clump of her hair and begins to drag her kicking and yelling, through the house. She opens a basement door and pushes her down the dark steps, knocking her unconscious.

When Neva awakes, her arms are tied above her head with a rope. The rope is places garishly on a meat hook. She hands un the dark, her arms raised above her head, swinging her legs to try and drop to the ground. "Goddamit" she mutters angrily to herself.

Julian suddenly saw a black spot and fell unconscious as the creature lunged at Neva. He let out a sharp cry of protest and fell into nothingness.

When Julian awoke, he was still lying on the floor, mercifully left alone. He sat up slowly, gingerly touching his hand to his head. He could feel warmth. Damn…he was bleeding. He stood up, staggering a bit, and looked around. The creature was nowhere to be found, and neither was Neva.

"Neva?!" he called. "Damn. Where could she have gotten too?" he wondered aloud. He wandered the house, searching for both her and the shape shifter.

Thanking the big Buddha for her limberness, Neva pulls herself up to bring her mouth to the ropes. She begins to gnaw at it, not having another idea. She grimaces, the rope tasting very foul indeed. She strains her ears as she thinks she hears a voice wandering the house. Julian.

She lets herself drop back down to a hanging position and begins to shout. "Julian! I'm in the basement! Don't worry about me though. Just get that creature!" she shouts. She would work herself out of her trappings...eventually.

Julian wheeled around on the spot, hearing Neva's voice. So she was in the basement. He started to head there, to help her. But then he decided to take Neva's advice and he left her there. She'd be safe, for the moment.

He wandered up the stairs; they were creaky and old. He looked around, his wand out. He couldn't find the creature, and he didn't want to be caught unawares again.

Neva resumes her swinging on the meat hook, hoping that the rope will swing off of it. She begins to pick up speed, her stomach lurching garishly as she stops in mid air. She screams suddenly as she drops, not having realized quite how far up she was. She lands with a heavy thud on the floor, mouse bones cracking under her weight. "oww" she groans. She attempts to stand up, somehow inhibited as her hands are still bound.

Julian heard Neva scream and flew halfway down the steps before colliding with something large, and angry. He looked up and noticed the shape shifter, this time in the form of a large…oh damn.

He backed up and let out a yell. How the hell did this thing know about him?! The creature swiped a hairy paw and Julian and he fell against the stairs, breathing heavily. "Dammit, Hyde!" he shouted.

Neva picks herself up from the ground and runs up the steps, her hands still bound. She throws herself into the door, breaking the bolt as she flies through it. Her eyes widen as a Werewolf stands before her. Before she has time to think, her legs begin to run for the thing. She jumps onto its back, wrapping her bound, rope burned arms around its neck. "Julian. Now's your chance. Hex the thing!!!" she shouts.

Julian blinked and scrambled up the stairs. "There's no way a hex is going to work now!" he shouted to her. He fumbled for the holster that he always wore on his left leg and pulled out the only silver dagger they had left in there possession. He hurled it at the creature and it lodged itself into its chest. It staggered around before collapsing face first into the ground. Julian then pulled Neva off it, and shouted, "Sectumsempra!"

He turned to Neva, shrugging. "Just to be sure."

Neva continues to cling onto the creature, providing distraction, as Julian tries to think of what to do next. _Well do something! I'm starting to feel nauseas!_ she thinks to herself shakily. She doesn't have to wait much longer however, as Julian throws his silver dagger at the thing, causing it to fall to the ground with her still attached to it. She stands up as Julian helps her up, watching with one eyebrow raised as he casts the Sectumsempra curse onto the thing. She smiles before holding her rope bound wrists up to him. "Could you do the honours? I'm a little tied up at the moment" she smirks at her bad joke.

Julian smiled and nodded. He pointed his wand towards her wrists and muttered a spell. The ropes fell off and thudded on the floor. He glanced at the shape shifter. "That's the second time I've had to kill him," he whispered. He turned away and moved out of its sight. "D'you…d'you want to go now?" he asked. "I don't want stay here any longer."

Neva smiles as the ropes drop to her feet and rubs her wrists where she had burned them in her attempts to free herself. She looks grimly at the sight before her, suddenly feeling overcome with a sense of deja vu. "Are you okay?" she whispers, already knowing the answer. She places a reassuring hand on Julian's shoulder. "Let's go home" she agrees.

Julian shrugged lightly. "I will be when we get out of here." He refused to look at the shape shifter's dead body, no matter what form it was in. He clasped Neva's hand in his own and walked out of the house with her. He held himself in a dignified manner, as though he hadn't just been caught with his guard down. He didn't glance at Neva, either, as they walked home.

Neva smiles sympathetically as Julian takes her hand, entwining her fingers in his as they walk out of the building. It had been an all together strange evening. She couldn't help but wonder how it had affected him. She knew that, although she had suffered because of the shape shifter, it was nothing to how much he had. He had been forced to relive one of the worst memories of his life. The memory of killing his best friend. Neva couldn't imagine even contemplating killing Sylvia or Erin. It just wasn't a feasible event for her. It was heartbreaking for her to think that it had been thrown upon him so brutally.

Julian walked up the path with Neva, still silent. Ever since they'd returned from Paris, everything had gone wrong. And now this. He had been forced to kill his best friend, again. It was amazing he was still standing. He couldn't be sure he'd be able to handle it much longer. After all, he was only human.

Neva's grip on Julian's hand taughtens slightly, but softly, as she watches him walk. She could see a definite slump in his shoulders and a soft loping of his walk. He looked almost broken, although he wouldn't be so bold as to show it. She knew that, no matter what, she would be there for him. They were all each other had. She was thankful for him. He had been her rock, now it was time for her to rise up to the challenge and ease his burden. No matter what, he wouldn't be alone.

Julian glanced at Neva and smiled softly. He wasn't going to burden her with his problems; he would deal with them on his own. He opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it, and just continued to walk.

When they arrived at the house, he held open the door for her and followed her inside. He closed the door softly and walked up the steps. He didn't say anything, but just disappeared into his room. He clicked the door shut and locked it. He knew Neva would be able to get in with the Alohomora spell if she wanted, but he did it automatically.

He looked around and laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't believe what just happened. A stray tear leaked from his eyes and he angrily brushed it away. He wasn't going to show weakness. This was Julian. He wasn't weak. He sat up and stared at the wall.

Neva walks into the hallway after Julian beckons her inside. She watches, helplessly as he walks up the stairs and locks himself in his bedroom. She wished to go up there and be with him but knew better. He needed the moment. She stands in the hallway, watching the wall for a while before coming to the conclusion that she needed to do something special for him.

Walking into the kitchen with resolve, she begins to rattle pots and pans as she prepares a meal from them both.

After an hour of cooking, Neva turns to the kitchen table. She summons a red table cloth from the closet and places it on the table, candles being placed in the middle. She lights them before turning off the kitchen light. After setting the table with cutlery and a large bowl of tofu casserole in front of each seat, she sneaks up the steps to her own bedroom.

After hastily getting ready, Neva exits her room. She is wearing a low cut, black slinky dress and her hair is placed in a loose bun, strands of hair falling gracefully about her face. She walks over to Julian's door and unlocks it before walking inside. She takes Julian's hand before leading him down the steps silently. She tells him to close his eyes before depositing him in front of the kitchen door. She sneaks over to his seat and places a small box containing a male engagement ring on the table before his seat before returning to his side. "Okay. Open your eyes" she beams.

Julian turned his head and noticed Neva in a different attire then what he left her in. He frowned, wondering what she was doing. He had to admit though; she looked _good_. "What are you doing?" he asked in surprise when she pulled him out of his room. He smiled softly and obliged when she told him to close his eyes. He suddenly saw nothing but darkness for a few moments as he stood there waiting anxiously. He wondered once more what she was doing.

When she told him to open his eyes, he obeyed and blinked. The kitchen table was completely decorated in a romantic setting. And there was a small box on his seat. He glanced at Neva in confusion before glancing back at the table. "It's wonderful," he breathed in amazement. He wasn't expecting this after what just happened. But it was welcoming, and he appreciated it. "_You're _wonderful," he said, smiling. "You look absolutely stunning, and this dinner," he said, gesturing towards the table. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're amazing." He pulled her into a passionate kiss. When they broke apart, the smile meant only for her was on his face, and wouldn't leave.

Neva beams as she is pulled into a long awaited kiss. She wrinkles her nose, something she had a habit of doing when feeling utterly at peace with the world, pondering Julian's declaration. "Well I _do_ have my moments" she giggles, not wishing to sound vain. Her smile only widens as Julian's private smile caresses his lips, unbudging in his happiness.

She leads him over to his seat and sits him down. She takes the box from the table as she sits in her own chair, and removes the contents. A golden ring encrusted with black and green stones glints in the candlelight, casting odd shadows on the wall beside them. "I figured that it wasn't fair that only I would be wearing a ring to mark our engagement. So I had this made for you" she beams. She takes Julian's hand and slips it onto his finger, her soft skin caressing the back of his hand affectionately.

Julian smirked, and allowed Neva to seat him. His eyes widened as he spotted the ring in her hand. He glanced up at Neva as she explained. "Neva…" he breathed, staring down at the ring. It was incredible. It was encrusted with black and green stones, two of his favorite colors. He smiled once more and looked up at her.

"You definitely are incredible," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He stared down at the ring again. It was simple, but it was enough. It was brilliant and he loved the fact that Neva had it made specifically for him. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

Neva beams as she pours them both a glass of red wine. She takes her glass and sips it, listening to Julian. "You make me everything I am" she says simply. It was true. She felt that, ever since she had met Julian, he had brought out the best in her. Her passion for life had well and truly been re-ignited the day she saw those beautiful chocolate eyes from a distance.

Neva glances at her own ring, watching it sparkle in the candle light. It made her feel special, as though she had been claimed. Yes, it did seem a rather primitive idea. But the fact that somebody would be willing to lay claim to her was amazing to her.

Julian took the glass and sipped it as well. It was delicious. "Likewise," he said, gazing at her across the lavishly set table. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, or the ring. Her more. She was just so gorgeous tonight, he couldn't believe it. Of course, she was gorgeous every day, but especially so tonight. He didn't know what it was, but she made him forget everything that he'd been through in his life. He couldn't believe his luck with this beautiful woman. He knew he wasn't going to let her go for anything. He would kill before he let her slip from his fingers.

He watched her as she looked at her own ring. He smiled softly, feeling faintly proud that he had given that to her, that she was his, and he was hers. And always would be. No matter what happened.

Neva catches Julian staring at her lustfully, feeling somewhat exposed but feeling flattered all the same. It was strange to think that somebody could think so highly of her. As far as she was concerned, there were so many people far more qualified for her role than she was. She just happened to be the extremely lucky person who it fell to.

Her fiery, sparkling eyes catch Julian's for the briefest moment. When they connect, it is as though a thousand stories are being shared between them. Stories of pain, heartache, victory, loss but most importantly: love. She looks away after a moment, focusing on a willow tree that was hanging just behind the kitchen window. It wept its pink and white petals in the darkness, making it appear as though it was snowing.

Julian sipped his wine once more, dozens of thoughts swimming through his head. Only a handful were thoughts of what happened tonight at the house. The others were thoughts of this past summer. It was almost over, and yet, it felt like an eternity. So many things had happened to them, and yet, Neva stuck by him. Not once did she falter from her role. He was grateful for that immensely, and knew that he would never be able to repay her. He could try though. And he would.

Neva places her glass onto the table as they bask in the silence. It was strange. Nothing was being said, yet it felt as though everything was being conveyed. The silence spoke higher volumes than they could. What an odd revelation.

She rests her elbows on the table, studying Julian's thoughtful visage. He looked so handsome when in thought. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. Whether he was praying for a longer summer too.

"So... not long now until our final year. I can't wait to get it over with" Neva digresses. She couldn't wait to get it over with, and set out on the next big adventure. Marriage...Family...Career. All of the good stuff.

Julian nodded faintly. "Me either," he said softly. He couldn't believe the summer was almost gone. They had one year left, and it was amazing. After all that happened, a normal year at school was almost ungraspable.

He glanced up at Neva, and caught her studying him. He smiled softly in the candlelight and sighed heavily. He didn't want this moment to end. It wasn't too romantic that it was mushy, but it was just perfect.

Neva sighs slightly, her eyes falling on the Willow tree outside the window. Although her eyes were focused on that area, she couldn't really see it. She was too lost in thought at the idea of being free after this year. She would be free to go wherever she wished, anytime she wanted. Though, she had to admit, these rules never meant much to her anyway.

Julian's gaze followed Neva's and sighed. He wondered what the future held in store for them He hoped to Merlin that there wouldn't be anymore heartbreak and hardships. They'd had too many of those. One thought strayed into his mind though, and wouldn't leave. He glanced down at the ring on his finger. He was engaged to Neva. That was something that was good. Maybe it was only to get better from now on.

Neva gazes at the clock above the door, listening as it ticks away the minutes. She was at a complete loss for what to say. It was strange. She was usually so opinionated and almost impossible to shut up, yet she couldn't find a word to pass from her lips. Perhaps the silence was enough. It wasn't an empty silence, either. It was filled with a thousand unsaid words that both she and Julian understood completely and utterly.

Julian glanced at Neva, and took another sip of his wine. He picked up his fork and slowly dug it into the food. He was starting to get hungry. He took a bite of the food she made for him and smiled faintly. It was delicious, as he knew it would be. He sighed, this was not like him either. Normally they wouldn't be able to shut up, but something about the moment urged him to not speak, just enjoy it.

Neva smiles as Julian begins to enjoy the food she had labored over. She herself felt no hunger, not for food anyway. She was growing hungrier for life by the day. Perhaps her Summer had made quiet nights in with a good book rather monotonous. Although this was one of her favorite pass times, she couldn't do this often as she used to. Her new found first for adventure saw to that.

She sighs slightly, wishing to fill the silence. It was a comfortable silence, but she couldn't help but think there was something missing. In an attempt to find that something, she begins to sing softly to herself_. "I should know who I am by now. I walk, the record stands somehow. Thinking of winter. Your name is the splinter inside me while I wait. And I remember the sound of your November downtown. And I remember the truth. A warm December with you. But I don't have to make this mistake and I don't have to stay this way. If only I would wake. The walk has all been cleared by now. Your voice is all I hear somehow   
Calling out Winter, your voice is the splinter inside me while I wait."_

Julian glanced up from his food and smiled softly. Neva's singing was hypnotic. He felt himself close his eyes and let the lyrics and her voice wash over him. It was soothing, and peaceful. He took a deep breath, and inhaled numerous scents. The food, Neva's perfume, and the perfume of the trees and flowers outside. It was so peaceful. He hoped they would stay in this moment forever. He didn't finish his food, or open his eyes. He sat there, willing the feeling of ecstasy wash over him.

Neva stops singing after a while, taking in Julian's peaceful visage. He hadn't looked so contented in...she couldn't remember seeing him so peaceful. She sighs happily, watching him breathe. "I love you" she states simply before taking another sip of wine.

Julian opened his eyes and smiled faintly at Neva. "I love you too," he said, just as simply. He gazed at her, watching her. She was beautiful and he was lucky to have her. He turned his head away and gazed out the window. The night was peaceful as well, and it felt like nothing could go wrong in the world.

Neva smiles, believing Julian's sentiment as he reciprocates her exclamation. She follows his gaze to the window, watching the night drift by without them. She thought that, perhaps, if she wished hard enough on the brightest star, that this moment would last a life time. This moment of clarity and peace would linger like a spectre, not wishing to lose its grip on them.


End file.
